The City of Timmins has voted to extend the Mushkegowuk Council’s Fire Keeper Patrol team through December 2025, a day before a public rally addressing homelessness and drug use in the community. This decision follows a successful one-year pilot program launched in 2023, where the patrol team provided outreach from 4 p.m. to midnight daily. The extended program will now operate from 8 a.m. to midnight, starting August 31.
The Fire Keeper Patrol team consists of trained mental health, addiction, and social service workers who engage with the unhoused and at-risk population, including both Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals. The program aims to provide support rather than enforcement, focusing on building relationships and offering essential services. In its first year, the patrol team recorded 13,356 interactions, administered basic medical care 45 times, and made approximately 1,200 healthcare referrals. They also collected over 3,500 needles and distributed nearly 800 naloxone kits. The team has mainly worked in Timmins’ downtown area but is available citywide.
The city is investing $180,000 in the program’s extension, with the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (CDSSAB) contributing $135,000. The patrol’s monthly reports, which detail their activities, are used to assess the program’s impact and needs. Amid increasing community pressure to address homelessness and public drug use—highlighted by a recent rally and a count of over 350 unhoused individuals—the Fire Keeper Patrol represents a proactive approach, focusing on support and engagement rather than traditional security measures. The city aims to improve public trust and communication regarding its homelessness and addiction strategies.
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